Ideas For Outdoors - Capital Grant Spending

[Guest]

Hi all,

 

I'm after some bright ideas because I'm totally stumped on this one.

 

I've got forms to apply to our LEA for capital funding to spend on our outdoors provision. Ideally I would LOVE to apply for funding to create a shelter, but this just isn't possible because we are in a listed building, and any awnings or shelters wouldn't be allowed.

 

I've spoken to the guy at the council and the criteria are as follows:

 

- It needs to be for capital works, i.e. to add value to the setting, not for 'resources' that could be taken away and used elsewhere (this rules out a marquee apparently).

 

- It can't require planning consent because of the time scales involved.

 

- It can't need maintenance or have health and safety implications.

 

We recently built a garden on land owned by the hall and we also bought a set of barriers to create free flow (irritatingly both of these would have been covered by the grant!) However, it's not possible to apply for the money for work already done.

 

It needs to be something 'big' as the minimum application is for £2,500. I did think of an extra set of barriers and maybe some notice boards to attach to them (as these would essentially remain onsite) but that's as far as I've got!

 

Thanks in advance for any bright ideas.

[Guest]

Hi,

 

What about:

 

- Paying for a joiner to build wooden storage unit, A-frame to hang sensory objects on, raised beds for planting and purpose built sand box with wooden lid

- Bird Table

- Seating - wooden mushrooms, logs, tyres

- Water feature

- Wooden posts (4 that can be removed)- can then use flexibly to provide shelter, make dens

- Wooden water butt for rainwater harvesting or putting in outdoor tap

- Outdoor electrical point

- Planting

- Large cobbles, pebbles or aggregates

- Different floor surfaces

- Freeflow curtains

- Purpose built boards that can be removed - blackboard, perspex

 

I don't know the different constraints you are working within such as size, hall use and so on. However we have just gone through the process of applying for Capital funding for outdoors from LEA of £20000. We have just been told that our application was successful and we can get the work done. Like you our grant can only be spent on capital works. As well as retractable awnings all of the above was agreed. Hope this helps.

[Guest]

Suzie - just out of interest where are you ?

[Guest]

Don't have any ideas I'm afraid but I wanted to sympathise with the fact you just spent money on something and then along comes a grant to cover that. Happens to us all the time!

[Deb]

We have £10,000 to spend.

 

As well as the ideas already suggested how about

 

a large walk in sandpit complete with pulleys etc

 

storage

 

raised beds for digging and growing

 

a quiet area for reading with social seating and sensory planting/landscaping to create a little oasis (that's where you going to be able to find me come the spring!)

 

An A frame for climbing

 

Hope that's some help.

[Guest]

Suzie - just out of interest where are you ?

 

We're in Bath and North East Somerset.

 

Many thanks to everyone for the ideas, they are brilliant! Wow, I'm in awe at the thought of getting £20k, well done to you Gwennie. It's just such a shame that a covered area isn't possible but all the rest of that stuff would be fantastic.

 

I just hope that the fact we have already invested our own money will have an influence on those deciding who gets the grant. I'm certainly going to refer to it in the application.